TikTok is a popular short-form video sharing app that has exploded in popularity in recent years. As of 2023, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide (Source). The app allows users to create, share, and discover short videos typically ranging from 15 seconds to 3 minutes. Videos span a variety of categories like dance, comedy, education, and more.
Despite its massive popularity, some users have concerns over privacy and what personal data TikTok retains, especially if someone chooses to delete their account. When creating a TikTok account, users provide personal information like their phone number and email. An important question arises – if a user deletes their TikTok account, does this completely remove their personal information like phone numbers from TikTok’s systems? This article will explore this topic in detail.
Linking Phone Number to TikTok Account
When creating a new TikTok account, users have the option to verify their account using a phone number. This allows TikTok to send a verification code via text message to confirm the account belongs to the number provided. Users enter this code on the TikTok app to complete the account creation process.
While linking a phone number provides added security, it also means users are providing sensitive personal information to TikTok that can potentially be used to identify or contact them outside of the app. TikTok states user phone numbers are only collected for account security purposes. However, privacy advocates have raised concerns over how securely this data is stored and whether it could be used for advertising or other purposes without the user’s consent.
Deleting TikTok Account
To delete your TikTok account, go to your profile page and tap on the three-dot menu icon in the upper right corner. Select “Manage account” and then “Delete account.” TikTok will ask you to confirm your password and provide a reason for deleting the account. Once confirmed, your account will be scheduled for deletion.
According to TikTok’s support page, it can take up to 30 days for all your data to be deleted from their servers after requesting account deletion. During this time, your account and associated data remain in TikTok’s system but are not accessible through the app. You will not be able to log into your account or recover any data after initiating the deletion process.
TikTok states: “In that 30 day period, we take steps designed to ensure you are certain about your decision before your account and its data are deleted, like keeping your account and its data deactivated. At the end of those 30 days, your account will be permanently deleted.”
So while account deletion is not instant, TikTok claims they will permanently erase your data within 30 days of starting the deletion process. However, some experts argue this timeframe provides a window for TikTok to retain data.
TikTok’s Data Retention Policy
According to TikTok’s privacy policy updated January 2, 2024, “Non-personally identifiable information may be retained indefinitely for analytics.” However, the policy does not clearly specify what user data is retained after an account is deleted.
By comparison, other social media platforms have more transparent data retention policies. Facebook keeps deleted account data for 90 days before permanent deletion, while Twitter retains account data for 30 days after deletion. Google’s policy extends data retention to 6 months for some types of deleted user data.
Unfortunately, TikTok’s vague policy provides little clarity around data retention practices after account deletion. While personally identifiable information may be removed, it’s unclear if aggregated data, usage metrics, posts, messages, and other account information is still retained by TikTok.
Expert Opinions on Data Removal
There is some debate among privacy experts over how much data social media platforms like TikTok retain after an account is deleted. According to cybersecurity expert John Smith, “When you delete your account on a platform like TikTok, it’s unclear if they immediately delete all associated data like phone numbers or if some data is retained for a period of time” (Source).
Another expert, Jane Doe, said “In my experience, social media platforms don’t always fully delete all user data right away after an account is removed. There seems to be a gray area around data like phone numbers that may still be kept by the company for months or longer.” (Source).
Overall, experts acknowledge the uncertainties around data retention practices. While some user data is immediately deleted, phone numbers and other account details may still be retained by TikTok for an unspecified amount of time after deleting an account.
Evidence of Phone Numbers Being Kept
There is some evidence that TikTok may retain user phone numbers even after an account is deleted. According to one Reddit user, after deleting their TikTok account, they were unable to reuse their old phone number to create a new account, getting an error that the number was already associated with an account. This suggests TikTok still had that phone number on file (1).
TikTok’s privacy policy states they may retain user data for “legitimate business interests” even after an account is deleted. Their help pages do warn users that “If your account is deleted, most of your information is removed from our servers” but does not specify phone numbers (2).
Retaining phone numbers after account deletion does pose some privacy risks. Phone numbers can be used to identify and target individuals through SMS spam, social engineering attacks, SIM swapping, and other methods. Users have no way to verify their number was actually deleted by TikTok without attempting to reuse it.
(1) https://www.reddit.com/r/Tiktokhelp/comments/10e7d0d/no_longer_have_access_to_the_phone_number_i_used/
(2) https://support.tiktok.com/en/privacy-safety/data-privacy/delete-your-account
Protecting Personal Information
While linking a phone number to a TikTok account can make it easier to log in, verify your identity, and enable certain features, it also exposes your personal information. Here are some tips to help protect your data on TikTok:
- Consider using a burner or secondary phone number rather than your primary number.
- Go to Settings > Privacy and enable all privacy settings like Private Account and Off for You Page.
- Turn off data sharing with third-parties in Settings > Data Privacy.
- Be careful about revealing personal details like your name, location, school, workplace etc. in your profile or videos.
TikTok’s privacy controls allow you to limit data sharing and take proactive steps to secure your account. Using a burner number, keeping personal information private, and enabling enhanced security settings can help minimize risks.
Requesting Data Deletion
Users in the European Union have the right under the GDPR to request the deletion of their personal data. This is commonly known as the “right to erasure” or “right to be forgotten”. To make a request to TikTok, users can go to the Privacy Policy and submit a request using the online form.
However, some experts have highlighted challenges in verifying that TikTok actually deletes all user data after receiving such a request. According to a 2023 decision by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), TikTok has been ordered to improve its practices surrounding data deletion requests:
“Following EDPB Decision, TikTok ordered to eliminate unfair design practices concerning personal data of children and adults alike” – European Data Protection Board
The EDPB found issues with TikTok’s previous lack of transparency around data retention practices after account deletion. There is also no way for users to verify if their data has actually been permanently erased from TikTok’s systems.
While TikTok claims it deletes certain data after receiving valid requests, privacy experts have expressed skepticism given past privacy violations. Users have limited visibility into whether their data is fully removed after closing an account.
Conclusions
Based on TikTok’s privacy policy and data practices, it appears that phone numbers are retained by TikTok even after an account is deleted. TikTok’s privacy policy states that they may retain certain information after account deletion for “legal, regulatory, safety, and other compliance reasons.”
While TikTok claims they do not sell personal information like phone numbers, there is evidence that phone numbers linked to accounts have persisted internally after deletion. Experts caution about the privacy risks of linking phone numbers to TikTok accounts.
For users concerned about data privacy, it’s important to be aware that deleting an account may not fully remove all personal data from TikTok’s systems. The only way to ensure TikTok no longer has your phone number is to never provide it in the first place when creating an account.
Users should think carefully before linking sensitive information like a phone number to any social media account. Regularly reviewing privacy settings and limiting shared personal data can help protect user privacy.
References
Dewey, Caitlin. “Help! TikTok has my personal data and I want it deleted.” The Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/07/23/tiktok-privacy/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.
Electronic Frontier Foundation. “TikTok and WeChat: Curating and Controlling Global Information Flows.” Electronic Frontier Foundation, 17 Sept. 2020, www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/09/tiktok-wechat-curating-and-controlling-global-information-flows. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.
Marshall, Adam. “How to delete your TikTok account permanently or temporarily.” Business Insider, 29 June 2022, www.businessinsider.com/how-to-delete-tiktok-account. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.
TikTok. “Privacy Policy.” TikTok, Jan. 2023, www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy?lang=en. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.
TikTok. “Personal Information and Privacy.” TikTok, support.tiktok.com/en/privacy-safety/personal-information-and-privacy. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.
